John Bradley, Sr. died 24 June 17, 1778, after a fall from the roof of a building at Col. Andrew Hampton's place. He evidently dictated his will and signed it while on his death bed. In 178S, 86 and 87 the sons and daughters of John Bradley Sr. and his first wife brought Court action to revoke this will and many witnesses were called. The witnesses testified that there was a total eclipse of the sun at the time John Bradley fell; that his wife Mary was sent for and when she arrived, asked him if he had made his will, as the older children would take everything and she wanted him to provide for her small children. The will was filed in old Tryon County and shows he left five shillings each to his sons by both marriages, as well as his married daughters. The balance of his estate, land, cattle and household furniture were left to his wife Mary on that day in 1778, and the next year Mary Ledbetter-Bradley married John Goodbread.

WILL:24 Jun 1778 Tryon Co, NC pr OCt 1778. John BRADLEY. Daughter Sarah MORGAN, daughter Anna JONES, son by my 1st wife: John BRADLEY. son Richard BRADLEY, son by my 2nd wife John BRADLEY. Son George Warton BRADLEY, daughter Mary BRADLEY, son Edward BRADLEY, son Isaac BRADLEY, son James Terry BRADLEY, son John W. BRADLEY. Wife Mary BRADLEY. Executors: My wife and Richard LEDBETTER. S: John (X) Bradley. Wit: Jonatham HAMPTON, Andrew HAMPTON, Jonas WILLIAMS.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

'In the Name of God Amen, I John Bradley of the County of Tryon & State of North Carolina Being at present the Weak of body yet of perfect mind and memory praise be theretofore given to Almighty God Do make ordain constitute and appoint this my last Will & Testament in manner & Form following That is to Say first and Principally I Recommend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God hoping the Merits Death and passion of Jesus Christ my Saviour to obtain Remission of all my Sins and to inherit Everlasting life and as to my body I Leave it to the Earth to be Decently Buried at the Discretion of my Exrs hereafter named And as Touching the Disposition of all such Temporal Good Things as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me on this World I leave and Bequeath them as followeth -
'First I will that all my just Debts be payed together with all my Funeral Charges
'Item I Leave unto my Son Thomas Bradley five Shilling Sterling to be paid out of my Estate
'Item I Leave unto my Daughter Sara Morgan five shilling Sterling to be Levied out of my movable Estate
'Item I Leave unto my Daughter Anne Jones five Shilling to be Levied likewise out of my Estate
'Item I leave unto John Bradley my Son by my first wife five Shilling to be Levied likewise out of my Estate
'Item I leave unto my Son Richard Bradley five Shillings to be Levied out of my Estate
'Item I Leave unto my Son John Bradley Son by my Second wife five Shilling to be Levied out of my Estate
'Item I Leave unto my Son George Walton Bradley five Shilling to be Levied out of my Estate
'Item I Leave my Daughter Mary Bradley my Son Edward Bradley my son Isaac Bradley my Son James Terry Bradley my Son Johnson Bradley Five Shillings Sterling to be payed to Each of them out of my Movable Estate
'Item I Leave unto my Loving wife Mary Bradley One Hundred acres of Land being part of the Tract of Land belonging to Jones Williams Likewise four Hundred acres of Land Lying near Wommack's Fort in Burke County Likewise all [rest of the line is illegible] Likewise my Negroes Wench Nan & her children Likewise two Mares One Colt & one horse Likewise Seventeen head of Cattle Likewise all my Household Furniture With the rest of my Estate both real & personal all money & moneys due my Just Debts payed Which I Leave and Bequeath to my Loving Wife Whom I appoint ordain & Constitute and as one of the executors of this my Last Will and Testament Also Richard Ledbetter I also appoint as Executor with her of this my Last Will & Testament hereby Revoking Disannualling and making void all former Wills Testament Legacies or Executors by me heretofore Make Given Granted appointed Constituted or Ordained and Ratifying andConfirming this & this only to be my Last Will and Testament
'In Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this 23rd Day of June Anno Domini 1778
'Signed Sealed Published ) His & Declared by the Testator) 'John X Bradley (Seal) John Bradley as his Last ) Mark Will & Testament before ) this witnesses ) 'Jonathan Hampton 'Andw Hampton His 'Jones X Williams Mark

'This last Will and Testament of John Bradley was proven in the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Tryon County, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 20, 1778. In the Court Minutes of Tryon County, North Carolina, it was 'ordered that Letters Testamentary issue to Mary Bradley, relict of the said deceased and Rich'd Ledbetter, Exrs of said Will on said deceased's Estate, pursuant to which Mary Bradley qualified as Executrix.'
This will was probated 20 October 1778.

Source: 'Smoky Mountain Clans, Volume 2', Donald B. Reagan, 1983, p 133-135.

Mary Ledbetter was the daughter of Richard Ledbetter II and Mary Walton.710

Mary Ledbetter Bradley - Goodbread was the daughter of Richard Ledbetter Jr., who had married about 1737 in Brunswick Co. VA Mary Walton. Mary Ledbetter, a daughter of George Walton and Elizabeth Rowe, was deeded 367 acres of land in Brunswick Co., by her father on 4 Nov. 1741 (Deed Bk 1, P 496). Richard Jr. and Mary (Walton) Ledbetter had three sons and three daughters, as evidenced by Mary Ledbetter's will in Brunswick Co. VA in 1779. (Will Bk 5, page 56). In her will Mary Ledbetter stated her daughter Mary Bradley, recently widowed, was planning to deed her deceased husband John Bradley's land to her brother Richard Ledbetter, and that if this was done, Mary Bradley was to get some of her mother's land in Brunswick County (that which had not been given to George Ledbetter). But, if the Bradley land was not transferred to Richard then the land was to go to her son Richard Ledbetter. Mary Bradley was given three slaves.

About 1770 Richard Ledbetter III and his sister Mary and husband, John Bradley moved to North Carolina. Richard III later moved to Georgia, and of course, Mary, left a widow in 1778 in Rutherford C9., NC, married John Goodbread.

Mary Goodbread, widow of John Goodbread, was quite a character in her old age. Rutherford Co. Deed Book 32-33, page 35, on 14 Dec. 1818 Mary Goodbread deeded to her two sons, Phillip and John Goodbread, for 500 pounds, 100 acres of land at her death, land on Cedar Creek, Grassy Branch of Broad River. In Rutherford County Court Minutes of October 1824, on motion of John Bradley, Mary Goodbread was ordered to appear before Justice Court, to show cause if any, she may have, why a guardian may not be appointed for her. Then the following January, on 8th Mary executed another deed, this time to Isaac Ledbetter, Sr., as trustee for the benefit of her daughter Sarah Ledbetter and her children, giving her a negro girl called Silvey and her increase. This gift had strings attached, for the slave was to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of her daughter and children, and Sarah's husband Walton Ledbetter is to keep hands off this property, and with the proviso that "should my said daughter who is now living with me at any time leave me, then in that case said Negro is not to be taken out of my possession during my lifetime". Added to this deed is an additional statement before the signing of the instrument, in which it states the parties have agreed that the Negro girl Silvey's child that she now has or shortly is to have is to be the property of Elizabeth Bradley, daughter of John Bradley, her son. Both the deed and the addition were signed by Mary Goodbread with an X.

On July 12, 1825 her son John Bradley was granted letters of administration of the estate of Mary Goodbread, deceased. He posted bond of 500 pounds with another son, John Goodbread (John, Jr.) as security.

John Goodbread had five children. I think the first one was by a previous wife and that he and Mary Ledbetter Bradley had four:
<1> Catherine Goodbread;
<2> Sarah Goodbread born about 1780;
<3> Thomas Goodbread;
<4> Phillip Goodbread, born about 1784;
<5> John Goodbread, Jr., born about 1785.